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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. fine — high quality
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fine — all right
  5. spell — letters
  6. scale — in music
  7. game — a match
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. court — of law
  11. scale — size or range
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. current — happening now
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — electric
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. spell — a short time
  21. court — of a king
  22. current — of water
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — a penalty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com